If you want to see a really good team in action, don't go to the match.

Go to the practices. That's where all good teams start out. Challenging each other, working out together, building a camaraderie and confidence that only the top teams have.

The Harvard men's swimming team is tops in the Ivy League, and has been as long as most students have been around. The team's meets are fun, fast and successful. The result of the countless hours in the pool? A 40-3 record in dual meets in that period.

"Part of the reason we were able to achieve is that, on a daily basis, we challenged each other," said senior Brian Swinteck. "In the pool, in the weight room, it built a lot of chemistry which leads to a high level of success."

There it is. Second-year Harvard Coach Tim Murphy had not only eight seniors to work with, but also a strong class of freshman swimmers. Instead of egos clashing, the elder statesmen nurtured and encouraged the amazing youngsters, creating another year of competitive Crimson success.

The long road started last summer. After a 1999 season that saw Harvard win its fourth straight Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championship, the summer camp opened with high-fives and high hopes.

"When I came in, I had high expectations," said freshman Dan Shevchik, one of the most surprising rookies. "I wanted to help coming in and had the expectations to win. The guys in the freshman class are really great, and we are close."

The upperclassmen had seen it all before, of course, but something was a little different this time.

"[The freshmen] came to campus with the right mindset," Swinteck said. "They made the upperclassmen aware of their presence."

The regular season, which has become largely a formality for Harvard recently, started Nov. 19 in West Point, N.Y., in a tri-meet against the United States Military Academy and Columbia. The Crimson opened with a bang, crushing Army, 177-66, and Columbia, 152-91.

Tri-captain Tim Martin, the unchallenged star of the team, paced the competition by winning the 1000-meter freestyle in one of the fastest times in the country. The youth also turned up in the opening meet, with freshmen Ryan Parmenter and Rick Dewey placing first and second in the 200 freestyle and sophomore Matt Wrenshall finishing third. Other standouts included junior Michael Im and Shevchik.

In early December, Harvard went on the road for some out-of-league action, competing in the University of Virginia Invitational against the host team, West Virginia and Villanova. The Crimson pulled off an impressive 1-2-3 finish in the 50 freestyle with juniors Jamey Waters and Matt Fritsch and freshman Leif Drake taking the top spots, respectively. Martin, who is also a Crimson editor, won the 400 freestyle and also solidified his reputation as "The Distance King," posting an impressive 15:02.29 in the 1650 freestyle for an easy victory.

Im also had an impressive meet, winning both the 100 and 200 backstroke races.

After winter break and a week-long training trip, the team faced Navy in early January. While one might expect the Naval Academy to dominate a water-based sport, the opposite was true, as Harvard won, 161-82. The Crimson won nine of 13 events, including a sweep of the top three spots in the mile, the 200 butterfly and the 200 backstroke. However, the team did lose the 200 freestyle relay, as it had the year before, and Murphy was not happy.

In late January, Harvard took on Brown in what amounted to a warm-up for the all-important Harvard-Yale-Princeton tri-meet the following week. The Crimson doubled up Brown, 163.5-78.5, and Shevchik had a breakthrough meet, which included setting a personal best in the 200 backstroke.